2013 State Champ and Runner-Up Compete In Santa Barbara
Yesenia Silva wins round one
By Tadzio Garcia
SANTA BARBARA – In their first meeting since the 2013 CCCAA Cross Country State Championships, College of the Sequoias' Yesenia Silva beat defending state champion Laura Aceves of East Los Angeles College by 20.3 seconds to win the Santa Barbara City College Cross Country Invitational women's race Oct. 10.
The two athletes ran alongside each other in Santa Barbara until Silva picked up her speed and pulled away with 800 meters left.
"It was a great solid race of two very talented runners. Yesenia set a new course record today," Sequoias Head Coach David Bronzan said.
"She (Silva) ran maybe 33 seconds faster than (Aceves) last year about this time, yet lost to her (Aceves) in the state finals."
Aceves ran next to Silva in last year's state finals, sprinting ahead at the finish line in what is Silva's only loss in two seasons while competing for Sequoias.
Aceves began running cross country and competing last year on the East Los Angeles College cross country team. Silva began running cross country competitively while a sophomore at Exeter High School.
"I did my best. I feel satisfied," Aceves said. "While it's nice to win, what's important is that I learn from each race."
Glendale Community College the No. 1-ranked team in the state, won its fifth consecutive meet to run away with the women's team title.
No. 2-ranked Mt. San Antonio College took second, followed by No. 9 Bakersfield College, Citrus College, No. 13 East Los Angeles, and Sequoias, respectively, to round out the top half of women's teams.
"This meet was a good barometer of where we stand," East Los Angeles College Coach Louis Ramirez said.
East Los Angeles improved by gaining ground on the ranked teams, an average of 130 points, since the SoCal Preview meet Sept. 12 when Glendale began its current team win streak.
The Huskies return to action Oct. 17 at the Mt. SAC Invite, the nation's largest cross country meet, which drew 25,000 participants in last year's 8-day event.